Track-cleaner for street-cars.



PATBNTED SEPT. 5, 1905.

V. GHISHOLM. TRACK GLEARER POR STREET CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 24. 1905.

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PATENT OFFICE.

VALENTIN CHISHOLM,

OF ROCKLAN'D, M AINE.

TFACK--CDLEAFIER FOR STREET-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1905.

Application lled April 24,1905. Serial No. 257,224.

To all 'lr/mm, it 712,07/ concern.:

Be it known that I, VALENTIN CHisi-ioLn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockland, in the county oflnox and State of Maine, have invented an Improvementin Track-Clearers for Street-Cars, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like ligures on the drawings representing like parts.

Most street-cars are provided with a shovel or scraper attached to the body of the car in front of the wheels and in position to be dropped onto the tracks when it is desired to clear the rails of snow. These shovels or scrapers are usually hinged to the car-body and situated some distance in front of the wheels. The result of this construction is that when the car is passing over a curve the scrapers are thrown to one side of the rails and do not contact with the latter.

The object of my present invention is to provide a novel form of scraper for streetcars which is so sustained as to be directly over the rails even when a car is passing around a curve.

According to my invention I employ a scraper or blade foreach rail and sustain said sera-pers or blades directly on the wooden fender, which is secured to the truck-frame and is situated directly in front of the wheels of the truck. This brings the blades very close to the wheels, and because they are suspended from the truck-frame rather than the car and are close to the wheels they are not thrown out of alinement with the rails even when the car is going around the corner.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of one end of the car having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. Q is a front view of the wooden fender of the car, showing the manner of supporting my blades or scrapers therefrom. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. Q. Fig. 4 is a section on the line .1' a', Fig. 21.

3 designates an electric car of any suitable construction, i a part of one of the car-trucks, and 5 a car-wheel.

The trucks of electric cars are always provided with some form of fender, usually of wood, which extends across the tiuck directly in front of the wheels. These fenders are constructed in different ways, accordingto the style of truck. In the drawings this fender is designated generally by 6 and is siippoited on suitable brackets 7, carried by the truck- Said fender has a transversely-exframes.

l tending portion 8 intermediate its ends and an inclined portion E) at its ends.

In accordance with my invention I support two blades or scrapers 10, one for each rail 11, directly from the fender 6, and where the Vfender is made with the inclined portions 9 at its ends said blades or scrapers are situated directly in front of such inclined portions. l The blades may have any suitable shape or conliguration; but preferably they are made comparatively wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, cach having' the scraping edge 1 2, which is adapted to contact with the rail. The two blades are connected together by a suitable connection or bar 13 and are constructed to be moved up and down with relation to the fender to raise and lower the scraping edges 12. The blades are h'eld in position by means of suitable bolts or pins 19, carried bv the inclined portions 9 of the wooden fender, and to permit the up-and-down movement of the blades each is provided with a slot 18, through which the bolt 1.) extends..

l5 designates a lifting-chain which is connected to the bar 13 and which extends over suitable directioii-pulleys 16 into position to be operated bythe iiiotorinan. Said chain 1o ma v be secured to the bar in any suitable way. Asherein shown, it has the yoke Q() at its lower end, which embraces a rod 1st, carried by the bar 13, and carries a pulley 2,1: which engages the under side of the rod: Ihe purpose of having this loose connection between the liftiiig-chain and the bar 13 is to permit the lateral movement of the bar with reference to the chain, which would be caused by relative movement of the car-body and ti'iickframe, duc to passing around a curve..

9.2 designates spacing members which are secured to the fender and which serve to space the bars 13 therefrom. Said spacing meinbers are shown as made of strap-iron, which are bent over the upper end of the fender and are spaced therefrom, said spacing' members being bent at their lower ends, as at 23, to present a rest or stop for the bar 13.

lVhen the blades are in their lowered position, as shown in Fig. 2, the bar 13 rests on the shelf or ledge i3, as shown in Fig. L1, and the latter therefore limits the downward movement of the blades,

Then the blades are not in use, the motorman raises them by means of the chainl and 1 supports them in their elevated position by hooking the chain over a suitable hook or pin 24E or in any other suitable way.

IOO

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It will be noted that the blades 10V are angularly arranged, and the snow which is scraped from the rails, therefore, is thrown up on the outside of the rails. Because the fenders or scrapers are carried by the truckfrarne rather than by the car-body they will not be thrown out of alinement With the rails when the car is passing around a curve.

The blades are very easy to manufacture and may be applied to any car now in use and are more etfectual in clearing the tracks than the pivoted blades commonly employed and hung on the car-body.

I/Vhile I have shown only one form of truck, it will be understood that my invention may be applied to any of the car-trucks now in common use.

The form of my invention herein shown'is that which I deem preferable; but various changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isA

l. In a car, a car-truck, a fender carried by the car-truck, and vertically-slidable blades or Scrapers for the rails carried by said fender.

n 2. In acar, a car-truck, atender rigid therewith and extending across the truck in front of the wheels and blades each occupying a vertical plane carried by said fender.

3. In a car, a car-truck, a fender rigidly secured to the truck and extending across the same in front of the Wheels, and a pair of connected blades or scrapers supported by said fender. A

4L. In a car, a car-truck, a fender rigidly secured to the truck and extending across the same in front of the wheels, and a pair of connected blades or Scrapers supported by said fender, said fenders being vertically adj-ustable, and means for raising the blades from VALENTIN o HIsHoLM.V

Titnessesz A. S. LITTLEFIELD, THOMAS HAWKEN. 

